


Little Things In the Night

by SpeckledCoffeeCups



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Venom (Comics)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Smut, M/M, post Endgame, written before endgames release
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-30
Updated: 2019-03-30
Packaged: 2019-12-26 23:12:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18292127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpeckledCoffeeCups/pseuds/SpeckledCoffeeCups
Summary: Peter doesn’t like how it feels when he comes down from this, whatever this could be. It doesn’t hurt like he thinks it should. He knows he comes out of the fog and haze of destruction lucky--the thing heals him every time, whispering in the back of his mind, telling him, he’s their’s.





	Little Things In the Night

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this in an afternoon and posted it as is. Sorry for any mistakes, I really wanted to get this out before work. Thanks for reading!

Peter doesn’t like how it feels when he comes down from this, whatever this could be. It doesn’t hurt like he thinks it should. He knows he comes out of the fog and haze of destruction lucky--the thing heals him every time, whispering in the back of his mind, telling him, he’s their’s. They call themselves Venom, but Peter thinks of them more like a poison. As long as they’re in him he can’t choose better, and it won’t get better. The way his limbs feel fuzzy, like he’s slept on them wrong, and the prickly ooze across his skin as the black tar settles bellow his skin, sinking into his veins and making them black.    
  
Tony is always the one to pull him out, and each time the look on his face is more and more broken. Nothing can hide the way he looks at Peter, the sympathy and fear. He hates it. He’s Spider-man he doesn’t need protected, he’s died and came back, a little alien goo isn’t going to break him yet. 

\---   
  
He lives his life carefully, fighting the ooze down almost every moment, only able to please the creature with chocolate or coffee. He doesn’t even like coffee, but he’s taken to drinking it just to shut the creature up. He doesn’t want to deal with the looks MJ and Ned give him when he hasn’t slept, the thing keeping him up with flashes of torture and pain. He can’t feel it, but his skin always tingles, and he spends the night curled into Tony’s side, shaking and fighting against the stark difference in his veins.    
  
He already feels behind the eight ball with everything--he’s a year behind in classes, the night terrors from Thanos, seeing Tony turn to dust instead of him--it takes a toll on him. Couple that with waking up on Titan with a black ooze hovering over him and then slamming into his chest, didn’t set him up for a great start. He was sick the entire way back to Earth, but no one thought any different. Everyone was off, there was so much going on and he was just beyond thankful to see Tony again, that he didn’t think anything of it. 

He really wishes he would have. 

\---

The first time he comes back from Venom, he’s laying in the middle of Central Park, Captain America standing over him and frowning. He extends a hand and pulls the kid up pulling his mask down, over his face.  _ “Come on kid.”  _ He says and leads him away from the flash of cameras and shouting of people. He sees the limp and the cut across his cheek and the way Bucky looks at him with true and honest pity is enough to tell him this isn’t good. 

Tony had met them and taken one look at Peter before flying them both back to the tower where he got another full body scan, this time revealing the symbiote lurking beneath his skin. Banner knew nothing about it, couldn’t place it, grumbling under his breath about how he’s this kind of doctor. 

The only option is for Peter to learn to live with the creature. Trying to remove them would be too risky and could result in both of them dying, which is something Peter isn’t sure he’s willing to risk, and Tony won’t even let be mentioned without his hands shaking. He lost Peter once already, he can’t do it again. 

Which Peter understands, there’s no reason to put the man through more stress, but Tony doesn’t have to live with ooze the curls through his veins, and a voice in his head that craves flesh and coffee and chocolate.    
  
Tony has his own demons, Peter would never deny that, he knows there are things that still keep Tony up at night, but this is something Tony will never understand, nor does he want Tony to know. So he keeps quiet about it until he can’t, doesn’t worry the older engineer when his skin feels fuzzy and prickly, or the lights are too bright in the bathroom. He just wears softer shirts, turns the lights out to shower, and keeps his head down.    
  
However nothing can stay hidden from Tony for long, so it’s no surprise when he confronts Peter one morning at breakfast.    
  
“Peter,” He starts,and Peter knows that tone, knows what is implied by the way he speaks softly. He stops mixing the eggs in the pan and bites his lip.    
  
_ “He knows,”  _ they say and Peter shivers.  _ “Show him, tell him about us.”  _

“Stop,” he grunts under his breath, not uncommon at this point. Everyone is use to seeing and hearing Peter grumble to himself at this point. He presses his palm to the back of his neck when Tony speaks again. 

“Babe,” he touches his hip and Peter leans into the touch. “I know there’s more going on. Just talk to me,” he says quietly. Peter shudders as Tony’s rough fingers tease the strip of skin under his shirt. 

“I’m fine Tone.” His voice betrays just how not fine he is. The way it cracks. 

_ “He hurts. We protect.”  _

“Shut up,” he groaned. Tony runs his hand through Peter’s coarse curls, nose pressed to the crown of his head. 

“You’re struggling babe. You’re not sleeping, you look sick half of the time, and… I want to help,” he says quietly. Peter leans into Tony’s grip as the black ink swirls across his arms protectively. 

_ “This one hurts to help. Explain.”  _

“This one’s good. No hurting,” he breaths pressing himself closer to Tony. 

“Goo baby still doesn’t like me.” Tony comments. 

_ “Goo baby! How dare-” _

“Doesn’t understand.” Peter corrects. “And doesn’t like when you call them Goo baby,” he supplies with a small smile. The symbiote curls tighter around Peter’s arms, not hurting but testing, warning him against the comment. 

It should worry him, just how use to their presence he has grown, but frankly when the symbiote isn’t making his life living hell, they’re pretty okay. A bit cranky and temperamental, but genuinely curious about Earth and the customs--and that worries Peter. He shouldn’t feel affection for the creature, even baseline toleration makes his head spin because there’s no reason for it. The thing came to him, invaded his space and life, and gave him more than just the predicted PTSD from coming back from death.  

He likes the space goo, and he hates himself for it. 

\---

Bad nights still happen, but are far and few between. 

However, tonight Tony is out on a mission that didn’t require Peter’s skill set, leaving him in the penthouse alone. He knows Loki is here somewhere, but he doesn’t want to bother the god, there’s other ways to handle himself. 

So he goes to the kitchen and opens the cupboards, tears tracking down his cheeks. He just wants something sweet to please the symbiote and to get back to his empty bed and fight to get to sleep. He’s digging through the cupboards, looking for the little brownies he bought the other day when something falls and crashes on the floor, glass splintering across the floor, cutting his ankle. He cusses loudly, jumping away and then groans when the sting of the cut registers with his brain. 

“Fuck!” he can’t help but shout out. It doesn’t fix anything. He kicks the island, denting it terribly. 

_ “Angry… was it me?” _

“Fuck off! Get out of my fucking head!” he snaps and slams his fist on the counter, cracking the granite. Immediately he feels guilty. Breaking shit? Is he 10? He leans over the counter and presses his hands to his hair and sucks down a breath. 

“Peter?” he looks up to see Loki standing in the doorway, concern evident. His eyebrows are pushed together as he studies the scene before him before stepping into the room. “Are you okay?” he asks calmly. 

Peter debates lying, telling Loki he’s fine, and to just go back to bed. He doesn’t need more people worrying about him, but he doesn’t have the energy to deny his current situation. 

“No,” He swallows. “I…” 

“Bad night?” He asks and waves his hand over the crack in the granite countertops, the splinter healing itself. There’s a tinkling sound as the glass from the floor reforms to the jar and the contents are pulled together and vanished. Peter nods slowly, dragging his eyes from the god’s magic. 

“Yeah,” he admits quietly. 

“Do you wish to talk?” he asks and then cocks his head. “Or not. I understand the need to keep to yourself.” He says and leans casually on the counter. Peter shrugs and shifts his weight, running his hands through his curls, tugging on the cluster at the nape of his neck. 

“I… do you know how to bake?” he asks suddenly but quietly. Loki raised an eyebrow but nodded. 

“My mother taught Thor and I. Why?” 

“I...  well they want chocolate. And it’s pissing me off.” he says crossing his arms. Loki just chuckles before standing to his full height. 

“Brownies?” He suggests and moves to Peter’s side of the Island. He barely spares a glance to him before speaking again. “You’re bleeding. Would you like my assistance or are you able to take care of it?” He voices. Peter looks down and see’s the dribble down his foot and then blushes. 

_ “Hungry.”  _ Venom reminds him. 

“Shut up.” he snaps. Loki looks back and raises an eyebrow. Peter waves him off. “Not you…” he grabs a wad of paper towels and bends pressing the towels to his ankle, webbing them there. 

“I’m assuming it’s your…companion causing this pain.” he says as he pulls out flour, coco, eggs, and other ingredients for the confection. 

“Yeah…” he swallows and moves to get a bowl out. 

“Have you considered not fighting against them?” He asks not even measuring, but pouring ingredients into the bowl with practiced movements. It makes Peter wonder about the god--just how much do any of them know about him?

_ “I like him.”  _ Venom hisses curling around his wrist. Peter grits his teeth.

“If I don’t they’ll take over… and people get hurt when that happens.” he says quietly. 

“But is this any better?” He asks bluntly, but not insultingly. Just a genuine curiosity, and frankly he has a point. Peter flushes and looks down, rubbing his palms together. “I’m just suggesting maybe… don't’ fight it. This doesn’t have to be life or death constantly. We’ve done our part, paid the price already.” he says and mixes the batter with magic while turning the oven on. 

“What do you know about this though?” Peter asks, reaching around Loki to get out a tin and greasing it. 

Loki looks over Peter. He’s a child, he doesn’t understand the weight of his words, nor should Loki expect him to. He clears his throat. “I have… been required to do things under commands I could not fight. I know that is not the same, and I regret my actions, but you’re issue is sentient. Perhaps striking a deal would be beneficial.” he says and pulls a hair tie from his wrist and collecting his curls into a messy bun. “See if there’s white chocolate chips in the cupboard.” Loki instructs, and like that the conversation has changed topic.

Peter doesn’t mind, and through the night Loki and him finish off the tin of brownies while “The Office” plays on the big TV in the main room. It’s stupid, but the simple way they didn’t worry about Peter’s mental state and laughed at the dumb jokes was enough to make Peter feel normal even for a moment. 

He barely notices when Tony picks him up and takes him back to bed. 

\---

It takes a few weeks, but eventually Peter locks himself in the bathroom and turns the shower on and makes a deal with the symbiote that betters the both of them. Venom is allowed to take control during a fight when needed, there’s at least one of Loki’s chocolate brownies a day, Peter can’t bitch when he eats people, but only really bad guys, and they both are allowed to immediately call off a fight. 

It’s a weak deal, but it’s a deal nonetheless. He can patrol without fear anymore, because he knows that he can stop it, and Venom is able to be nourished. He can sleep through most nights. 

Even better for him, he doesn’t have to fear being with Tony. Over the past months he’d been wary of sleeping with Tony, fear that Venom would take over in the middle of sex. Finally, he is able to have Venom slip aside as he loves Tony, and lets Tony love him. He can finally have his mouth drag over his chest and hips, hands carving patterns into his skin. He can feel the heat from his body pressed against his chest and the burning stretching that accompanies Tony’s body slotting itself within him. He can gasp and moan as Tony rocks into him, whispering sweet words into his ear. 

And he can enjoy it without fear that Tony will get hurt. 

That’s the best thing he could ask for as he lays in the afterglow of their sex, dragging his fingers down Tony’s side and across his chest. 

_ “You are happy?”  _ Venom asks in the back of his mind.  _ “You love this man.” _

He nods and yawns. “Yeah,” He breathes under his breath. 

_ “I’m sorry.”  _ He smiles and presses a kiss against Tony’s shoulder.

“It’s okay,” he mumbles and drags a kiss across Tony’s jaw. Tony chuckles and runs a hand down Peter’s spine. 

“Venom?” He asks and Peter nods, snuggling closer. 

“They like you,” He says and kisses his throat right below his ear. “And I love you.” he says and Tony smiles against his hair. 

“I love you too,” He says squeezing him tightly. 

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me @speckledcoffeecups.tumblr.com


End file.
